How many times have you spent hours searching the web for a research paper, only to find it locked behind a paywall and readable only in fragments? That's where Unpaywall steps in: a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that finds the free and legal version of the document so you can read it in full.
What is Unpaywall?
On the internet there are many research papers behind paywalls (a barrier you only cross by paying). Unpaywall is here to change that, having already indexed more than 10 million research papers with the same quality and completely free.
How does it work?
Once you download the extension in your web browser, the extension will start working. For example, when you come across a paid academic research paper, the extension will provide you with a link to the document, but free and legal.
Every time Unpaywall finds an academic research paper behind a paywall, a green padlock icon will appear on the right side of the browser. Clicking it, the extension will open the document in another tab, completely and totally free and legal.
The extension has a large database index of free research papers, which is why it performs the search automatically. If you don't see the green padlock icon, it means the platform doesn't have the free version of the document.
Customization options
The utility also offers some tools to customize the extension, allowing you to change the color of the padlock, or use colors for searches, for example to distinguish links to documents from academic institutions or online newspapers.
Availability
Unpaywall is a free extension available for Google Chrome and Firefox.
